Page:Letters of Cortes to Emperor Charles V - Vol 2.djvu/279

 of about a league, leading our horses by their bridles. About the hour of vespers, we reached the first village, called Ticatepelt, whose inhabitants we found living comfortably in their houses and showing no signs of fear; they had plenty of food, both for the men and horses, so that we were completely refreshed and forgot our past troubles. We rested six days, during which time a youth, of attractive appearance and well attended, visited me and told me that he was the son of the lord of that country; and he brought me some gold and birds, offering himself and his country for Your Majesty's service, saying that his father had lately died. I sympathised over the death of his father, although I perceived that he was not telling me the truth, and I gave him a collar of Flemish beads which I was wearing on my neck and which he greatly esteemed, after which I told him to leave with God's blessing; but he remained two days longer of his own free will.

One of the natives of Ticatepelt who claimed to be the chief told me that there was in the neighbourhood another village, also belonging to him, where I would  Human Sacrifices find better lodging and more abundant supplies, for it was larger and more populous, and suggested, also, that, if I went thither, I would be more comfortable; so I at once accepted his proposal, and ordered him to have the road cleared by his men, and lodgings prepared, all of which was done as I wished; and we went to that town, which is six leagues from here, and found the people tranquil, and a certain quarter vacated for our lodging. It is a beautiful town, called Teutiercas by the natives, and has very handsome mosques or houses for idols wherein we established ourselves, throwing out their gods, at which the natives showed little concern; for I had already spoken to them and explained their errors and that there was only one God, the Creator of all things. Afterwards